Many businesses people, especially those in the early years of their business, will act first and think later. Many entrepreneurs will argue that doing something, learning by the experience and failing fast if you are going to fail is the right approach.

Stuart Ball, of Swindon-based Absolute Management and Marketing, spends time talking about the alternative approach; that is thinking about what we are going to do and why, validating that it will deliver the right results, then executing the plan.

His presentation helps business people work out where the business is heading, before jumping in.

That’s the question we posed – just for fun and not academic research – at our last meeting of 2018. A kind of end-of-term, let-your-hair-down, and have a chat session.

And what emerged is that Business Village excels as a networking group in Swindon because it is supportive, it’s welcoming, it’s not exclusive and – just as you would expect – we get clients, contacts, referrals and recommendations.

So, if you’re looking for a networking group which doesn’t charge an expensive annual membership fee – or any membership fee at all, for that matter – is pay-as-you-go, weekly and effective, why not try Business Village? You’ve nothing to lose (apart from the meeting fee – £9-£12, depending on when you book) and everything to gain.

In fact, the first meeting of the New Year, on January 10th , is a free presentation on Fit for Business for 2019. For more details, book here. We meet Thursdays, 7.30-9am at The Campanile for breakfast and great networking.

The literal ups and downs of walking from Land’s End to John o’ Groats solo were the focus of a talk from inspirational coach Jen Le Marinel.

Jen, based in Cheltenham, took three-and-a-half months to complete her epic journey and shared her highs and lows of the trip; from peace, quiet and breath-taking scenery to a bout of food poisoning after a late night curry.

She talked about what she learned about herself along the way and how it helped shape her business, WildFire Walks. She has also written a blog about her adventure.

GDPR is the buzzword of the moment, and with its enforcement imminent and its impact on businesses universal, the presentation to Business Village on these new data protection rules was listened to with interest.

Paul Himple, who runs HR consultancy Go Legal HR, gave an extremely informative talk on GDPR. It was, he said, an overview of the new rules, how they differ from current legislation, and what company owners and directors need to start thinking about and putting in place.

If you’re unsure how to communicate with clients, when to communicate with clients and how often to communicate with them, then Steve Manning – who runs Hampshire-based Activate Marketing – has some of the answers.

Steve gave a lively and informative presentation to Business Village, focusing on the importance of client communications.

Book Your Next Event

Lloyd Smith is the co-owner of Incarcerated Live Escape Rooms in Swindon. His Business Village presentation will look at how the escape room concept can be used for team building and testing the ability of staff on a level playing field. He’ll also include a short game, based on communication and accuracy along with a brief introduction to his plans for 2019.